Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy was left frustrated after Kenya suffered a 1-0 defeat to Guinea in their second Group D match of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers at Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry.
Serhou Guirassy broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute after capitalising on a defensive mix-up in the Harambee Stars box.
The move started with a long ball from midfield finding Guirassy, who controlled it to Sekou Sylla as he continued his run to create space. Sylla’s first touch, however, was heavy and sent the ball into the Kenyan box.
Sylla, Frank Odhiambo and Chrispine Erambo then scrambled for possession. The challenge left Sylla and Erambo on the ground, with the loose ball falling to Guirassy.
The Guinea striker reacted quickest, picking up the ball before firing past Byrne Omondi from inside the box to put the hosts 1-0 up.
McCarthy’s frustration centred on the decision to allow Guinea’s goal to stand. The coach felt there was a foul in the build-up and criticised the referee for failing to intervene.
” I don’t think the referee had one of his best matches today because it was very one-sided, and especially for the goal. He was looking at the foul that happened, but he just completely ignored it and he allowed the goal to stand. And the higher level, the goal is disallowed”
The defeat came after Kenya had opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea, leaving Harambee Stars with one point from their first two matches.
McCarthy Frustrated by Kenya’s Final-Third Play
Beyond the refereeing decision, McCarthy was also unhappy with how his players handled their attacking moments after going behind.
Kenya reached the final third on several occasions but failed to produce the decisive pass needed to create an equalising opportunity.
McCarthy said the situation contributed to his frustration on the touchline as he tried to influence the players during the match.
“And of course, frustrations build up a little bit, especially when your team, they have a good moment and they get into the final third, and then it’s just lapse of concentration, lose the focus and they don’t, they don’t make the good, the good pass for the team to score a goal or to equalize because we were one-zero down”
McCarthy had made four changes to the team that started against Eritrea, bringing in Michael Kibwage, Chrispine Erambo, Ben Stanley Omondi and Mohammed Bajaber.
Ryan Ogam, who scored Kenya’s equaliser against Eritrea, was among those who started on the bench.
The result gave Guinea their first points of the campaign, while Kenya remained on one point after two matches.
Kenya are already guaranteed a place at the 2027 AFCON as co-hosts.
For McCarthy, the immediate task is to use the remaining competitive fixtures to assess his squad and address the issues exposed in the opening matches.
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